Master of Occupational Therapy Program

Stroke. Brain injury. Birth injury. Accidents. Disease. Disability.
Any of these can change a person's life in a single moment.
But one thing will never change -- the desire to live fully and productively.
That's where you, the Occupational Therapist, play a key role.

The Master of Occupational Therapy degree is an intensive, 100 credit hour program that provides students with the comprehensive knowledge and skills they need to become licensed, practicing members of the profession — and to help clients master the tasks of daily living.

The MOT places a strong emphasis on advocacy, communication, critical reasoning and lifelong learning — skills and activities that distinguish our graduates and empower them to become highly effective professionals.

An undergraduate degree is required for admission to the MOT program, though there is no requirement that the degree be in a specific major; however, there are course prerequisites that a student must meet before he or she will be admitted to the program.

The curriculum itself is sequential.

During the first year, coursework lays a strong foundation in the sciences, ethics, the processes of Occupational Therapy and multiculturalism. Students gain a thorough understanding of anatomy, physiology, movement analysis and neuroscience.

Second year coursework builds on the first year’s foundational courses and teaches students to apply their skills in increasingly complex environments. Several clinical experiences are integrated into second year coursework, and students learn through case method learning and evidence-based research.

The final year is primarily fieldwork that bridges the theoretical with real-life practice.

Central throughout the curriculum is the concept of “Occupation.” Occupation includes all of the activities we perform in life — actions, tasks, activities, thinking and being. Our students are imbued with an understanding of “Occupation” that allows them to design and deliver the most effective interventions for their clients.

Accreditation

The Occupational Therapy program is accredited by the
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery
Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is
(301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is www.acoteonline.org.

Graduates of the program are able to sit for the national
certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. After successful
completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist,
Registered (OTR). Most states, including Illinois, require licensure in order
to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the
NBCOT Certification Examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s
ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state
licensure.

To meet Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy
Education (ACOTE) standards, the 2013 pass rate data from the National Board
for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam, is available online at https://secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx.

The graduation report for calendar years 2010 – 2013 is:

Graduation Year

2013

2012

2011

2010

Total # Program Students Eligible for Graduation

24

28

19

26

Total # of Program Graduates

24

28

19

26

The MOT students graduate in December of one calendar year and are not eligible to take the NBCOT exam until the following calendar year.
Of the 73 graduates who were eligible to take the NBCOT certification
examination as first-time new graduate test-takers in calendar years 2010-2012,
the all-time pass rate on the NBCOT certification examination is 95%.

The National Board for Certification in Occupational
Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT®) is a not-for-profit credentialing agency that provides
certification for the occupational therapy profession.

Application Period for Academic Year 2014 - 2015 is now closed. Application Period for Academic Year 2015 - 2016Students are
admitted once a year, with classes beginning in Summer Session, 2016.
Applications for Academic Year 2015-2016 will only be accepted through the
Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS) via http://www.otcas.org/
from July through October 15, 2015.